The Second Woman [Ellen] *** (1950, Robert Young, Betsy Drake, John Sutton, Florence Bates) – Classic Movie Review 12,136

Director James V Kern’s stylish and satisfying 1951 black and white mystery thriller film noir The Second Woman [Ellen] stars Robert Young, Betsy Drake, John Sutton and Florence Bates.

Classic film noir Sunset Blvd.

Director James V Kern’s 1951 black and white film noir mystery suspense thriller film The Second Woman [Ellen] stars Robert Young, Betsy Drake, John Sutton, Florence Bates, Morris Carnovsky, and Henry O’Neill. It is written by the film’s producers Mort Briskin and Robert Smith.

Suicidal architect Jeff Cohalan (Robert Young) is mentally unstable after his fiancée Vivian Sheppard (Shirley Ballard) was killed in a mysterious car crash on the night before their wedding, but is now staying with his aunt Amelia Foster (Florence Bates) and has a new girlfriend in Ellen (Betsy Drake).

When Young’s house mysteriously burns down, his psychiatrist friend Dr Hartley (Morris Carnovsky) thinks he has got something to do with it. Drake probes the situation and finds that Keith Ferris (John Sutton), who works for Vivian (Ballard)’s dad, real estate guy Ben Sheppard (Henry O’Neill), was once Vivian (Ballard)’s lover.

Young gives an excellent, intense, low-key performance in this tense, subtle, stylish and satisfying film noir mystery, and Florence Bates as old Aunt Amelia is outstanding among a series of polished character actor performances.

Also in the cast are Raymond Largay, Shirley Ballard, Vicki Raaf, John Gallaudet, Jason Robards Sr, Steven Geray, Jimmie Dodd, Smoki Whitfield and Cliff Clark.

It is also known as Here Lies Love, Twelve Miles Out, and Ellen.

The outdoor sequences were shot on the coast at Monterey, California, standing in for the story’s seaside setting. Some interior scenes were also filmed on location at the Lakeside Country Club in Los Angeles. The interior studio scenes were filmed at Motion Picture Center Studios, 846 North Cahuenga Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

It runs 91 minutes.

It was released on 7 July 1950.

The Second Woman [Ellen] is directed by James V Kern, runs 91 minutes, is made by Cardinal Pictues and Harry Popkin Productions, is released by United Artists, is written by Mort Briskin and Robert Smith, is shot in black and white by Hal Mohr, is produced by Harry M Popkin, Mort Briskin and Robert Smith, is scored by Joseph Nussbaum, and designed by Boris Leven.

The cast are Robert Young as Jeff Cohalan, Betsy Drake as Ellen Foster, John Sutton as Keith Ferris, Florence Bates as Amelia Foster, Morris Carnovsky as Dr Hartley, Henry O’Neill as Ben Sheppard, Jean Rogers as Dodo Ferris, Raymond Largay as Major Badger, Shirley Ballard as Vivian Sheppard, Vici Raaf as secretary Sue, Jason Robards, Sr as Stacy Rogers, Steven Geray as Balthazar Jones, Jimmie Dodd as Mr. Nelson, Smoki Whitfield as porter Elmer, and Cliff Clark as Police Sergeant

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,136

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